Planter.



A. J. H. REID.

PLANTBR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14. 1910.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910.

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lnventr Attorneys A. J. H. REID.

PLANTEB.

APPLICATION rum MAY 14, 1910.

Patented Nov.22, 1910.

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Inventor Attrny NTTED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

ALFRED J. H. REID, 0F HENDERSON, TENNESSEE.

PLANTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. H. REID, a citizen of the United States,residing at Henderson, in the county of Chester and State of Tennessee,have invented a new and useful Planter, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to machines for planting corn, cotton, peas,beans and other smaller seeds and one of its objects is to provide acompact machine of this character having new and novel means fordropping the seeds at desired intervals, the said means being disposedbeneath a hopper lo cated directly above the axes of the supportingwheels.

A still further object is to provide seed dropping mechanism which canbe used in connection with any kind of seed such as ordinarily fed bygravity.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists of certainnovel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter morefully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the' invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings F igure 1 is a central longitudinal section through themachine, the front or grading portion being shown in elevation, saidsection being taken on the line C-D Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe machine. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through a portion thereof online E-F Fig. 4 and showing the controlling chain of the seed droppingmechanism in plan, the adjustable guide plates being also shown in planadjacent thereto, one of the said plates being partly broken away. Fig.4 is a central vertical transverse section through the seed droppingmechanism said section being taken on the line G-H, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is aperspective view of a portion of the feed chain of said mechanism.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a wheelsupported axle, the said supporting wheels being indicated at 2. Sideframe members 3 are mounted on the end portions of the axle 1 and areconnected at their rear ends by a cross bar 4. Standards 5 extendupwardly from the rear end portions of the side me1nbers 3 and areconnected to handles 6 which are inclined downwardly and forwardly andSpecification of Letters Patent. Application led May 14, 1910.

Patented Nov. 22, 1910. Serial No. 561,426.

are secured to the side members 3 as indicated at 7.

The two handles '6 may be connected at the upper ends of the standards5, by means of a cross strip 8 and upwardly converging supportingmembers 9 may be secured to the s1 e members 3 close to the ends of thecross bar 4, the upper ends of these members 9 being bolted or otherwisesecured to the rear ends of parallel longitudinally extending sidestrips 10. A spacing block l1 is secured between the rear ends of theseside strips and a combined spacing member and table 12 is interposedbetween the intermediate portions of the strips. This table preferablyhas laterally extending flanges 13 which bear downwardly on the sidestrips, as shown particularly in Fig. 4. The front ends of the sidestrips are spaced apart by the upper end of a hanger 14 the said hangerextending downwardly close to the ground and constituting the front wallof a spout or jphute 15 which is open at the top and bot- A block 16extends forward from the hanger 14 and the side members 3 extendinwardly to and are fastened on opposite faces of this block 16 and thenextend forward along parallel lines, as indicated at- 17 and are securedto opposite faces of a draft tongue 18'.

Hangers 19 extend downwardly from each side of the tongue 18 and aresecured, at their lower ends, to a runner 20 having wings 21 secured tothe sides thereof and extending rearwardly therefrom. Each of thesewings is preferably formed of spring metal and is fastened to a block22. A scraper blade 23 is pivotally connected, at its forward end, toeach of the blocks 22 and has an arcuate slot 24 therein for thereception of a clamping bolt 25, it being thus possible to raise orlower the rear end of the scraper blade so as to cause it to project anydistance desired into the soil. The two blades 23 are curved inwardly attheir rear ends so that, as the machine is drawn forward, these bladeswill not only scrape and smooth the surface of the soil, but will directthe loosened soil inwardly to a position back of the runner 20.

Braces 26 connect the block 16 with the rear end of the runner 20 and afurrow opener 27 is pivotally connected, at its front end, to thesebraces 26, the said opener being extended between the braces. The pivoton which the opener is mounted, has been indicated at 28. The rear endof the said furrow opener has a series of openings 29 therein any one ofwhich is adapted to receive a locking bolt 30 which extends through thesaid furrow opener and also through said strips 31 which rest upon theside faces of the furrow opener and moves therewith. These strips 31extend across the sides of the spout or chute 15 and are bolted orotherwise secured to a bar 32 which extends under the axle 1 and has asupporting bolt 33, loosely mounted in the rear end thereof., This boltextends upwardly toand loosely through t-he cross bar 4 and has anadjusting nut 34 mounted upon it and whereby the said bolt can beshifted vertically so as to swing the bar 32, side strip 31 and furrowopener 27 about the pivot 28. It is of course to be understood that thestrips 31 do not engage thewalls of the chute or spout 15 and cantherefore be swung about the pivot 28 without causing a correspondingmovement of the said spout.

A seed coverer is carried by the bar 32 and consists of a block 35having laterally extending downwardly bowed wings 36. This coverer isarranged directly back of the spout 15 and extends therebelow, asclearly` indicated in Fig. 1.

The flanges 13 of the table 12 are provided with lateral extensions 37on which are mounted adjustable guide plates 38 each of which hastransversely extending slots 39 therein for the reception of clampingbolts 40 which project into and are secured to the extensions 37. Theinner longitudinal edges of the guide plates have upstandinglongitudinally extending ribs 41 thereon. These inner edge portionsoverhang the table 12 but are spaced therefrom, thus forming a channel42 above the table and which is for the purpose hereinafter set forth. Ahopper 43 is mounted on the guide plates 38 and has laterally extendingslotted ears 44 which are engaged by the bolts 40 and the said boltsthus serve not onlyA to adjustably fasten the plates 38 to theextensions 37, but also to secure the hopper 43 in position upon theguide plates.

A sprocket 45 is secured to and rotates with the axle 1 and drives achain 46 which is mounted on a sprocket 47. This last mentioned sprocketis securedto a shaft 48 journaled in the front portions of the sidestrips 10 and extending between the hanger 14 and the table 12, therebeing sprockets 49 secured to the shaft 48 between but close to the saidside strips 10; Another shaft 50 is journaled within the side stripsbetween the table 12 and the block 11 and carries sprockets 51 which arelocated close to the side strips 10.

Sprockets 49 and 51 carry a chain made up o f links which are detachablyconnected and are made preferably of two styles. Two of these links havebeen illustrated in detail in Fig. 5. It will be seen that each linkconsists of a plate 52 having a slot 53 in each end portion thereof andwhich is of suflicient size to receive the teeth of the sprocket wheel.A hook 54 extends from one end of each of the slots and the other endwall of each slot is so shaped as to be loosely engaged by a hook 54 ofanother link. One form of link has a central rib 55 uptsanding therefromand provided with a concave and a convex end, the said rib extendingthroughout the length of the link. The other form of link has an ear 56upstanding therefrom' at the center thereof and which does not extendthroughout the length of the link but has one round edge or concave endregistering with one of the edges of the link and adapted to receive theconvex end of a rib such as shown at It is 'to be understood that theselinks may be disposed in any desired relation, it being possible toarrange a series of links having ribs 55 and ears 56 disposed in anydesired relation to each other. F or example one or more ribs 55 can beplaced together after which one ormore ears 56 can be placed inalinement therewith. The ribs and ears are so proportionedV as to fitsnugly between the inner edges of the guide plate 38 and the ribs 41 andit will obviously be impossible for any seed to leave the hopper or seedbox except when one or more of the ears 56 assumes a position within thechannel 42, whereupon one or more seeds may fall by gravity into thespace between the ears or between the ears and the ribs 55. It is to beunderstood that the upper run of the chain will rest upon the table 12while the lower run thereof will hang loosely below the table.

A sprocket 57 is secured to the shaft 48 and drives a chain 58 whichengages an other sprocket 59. This last mentioned sprocket is secured toa shaft 60 extending transversely through and journaled within the wallsof the hopper. An agitator is adapted to be secured upon the shaft 60and within the hopper, the form of agitator varying according to theseed used in the planter. Where cotton seed is to be planted, a hub 61is secured to the shaft 60 and has radially extending fingers 62thereon. It will be seen therefore that as the machine moves forward,the fingers 62 will be rotated about the shaft 60 and will thoroughlyagitate the seed, it being noted that these fingers extend between theribs 41 and close to the feed chain and force the cotton seed into thespace between the ears 56 or between the ears and the ribs 55 on thechain.

After the hopper 43 has been filled with seed, the machine may be drawnforward as ordinarily and the runner 20, riding along the ground, willtend to level the ground by wearing downy any small project-ingA portionof the soil and forcing it into hollows in the path of the runner. Atthe same time the Scrapers 23, which have previously been adjusted todesired angles relative to the horizontal, will scrape a portion of thesoil inwardly to a position back of the runner and in the path of theopener 27. This opener will cut a furrow in the loosened soil and thespout or chute l5 following directly thereafter will direct seed intothe said furrow. The covering device 35 follows after the discharge endof the spout and the side wings thereof serve to direct the loosenedsoil inwardly over the seed and produce a rounded hill which is not onlyattractive in appearance but has a water furrow at each side thereof.rIhe rotation of the wheels 2 causes power to be transmitted to thegearing described, to the shaft 4S and sprocket 49 and the chain mountedon the sprocket is thus moved in the direction of its length, the ribsand 'ears 55 and 56 thereon being brought successively into the channel42. Should all of the links of the chain be provided with ears 55, itwould be impossible for any seed to drop into the channel and beconveyed by the chain to the upper end of the spout. However, by placinglinks with ears 56 at desired intervals the seeds can be permitted todrop in front of the said ears and will be forced thereby to the inletend of the chute. Obviously by varying the distances between the ears56, the distance between the hills can be regulated. Moreover bygrouping two or more of the ears 56 together, the amount of seed droppedinto each hill can be controlled.

By adjusting the supporting bolt 33, the seed can be planted on either apacked bed or a loose bed. The depth of planting can be controlled bylowering the furrow opener 27 until it hangs below the block 35 adistance equal to the depth at which the seeds are to be planted.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that a spring 66 is secured tothe rear portion of the tongue 18 and bears downwardly on lthe furrowopener 27. This spring serves to press the opener yieldingly intocontact with the ground at all times, but, should it come intoengagement with a root or other unyielding object in the path thereof,the said opener will be free to swing upwardly about its pivot 28 andagainst the stress of the spring 66 this movement being permitted inview of the fact that the bolt 33 is slidably mounted in the bar 4. Assoon as the obstruction has been passed, the spring 66, assisted bygravity, will return the parts to their initial positions.

It is of course to be understood that various changes may be made in theconstruction and arrangement of the parts without departing from thespirit 0r sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

Vhat is claimed is l. A planter including a hopper, said hopper having adischarge channel in the bottom thereof, an endless chain below thehopper, said chain consisting of interchangeable links havingoutstanding ribs extending throughout the lengths thereof and linkshaving outstanding projections alining with the ribs, said ribs andprojections extending into the channel and constituting seed en gagingmeans, and means for actuating the chain to convey seeds.

2. A planter including a spout, a table adjacent the upper end thereof,oppositely disposed laterally adjustable guide plates mounted upon thetables, an endless feed chain extending over and under the table, saidchain consisting of pivotally connected links, ribs upon certain of thelinks, and ears upon the remaining links, said ears and ribs 'aliningand being movable between the guide plates, seed receiving recessesbetween the ears and between the ears and the adjoining ribs, and meansfor actuating the chain to direct seed to the spout.

3. A planter including a hopper, a spout, an endless means for conveyingseeds from the hopper to the spout, said means including interchangeablelinks, and projecting devices upon the links and of different lengths,said devices cooperating to form seed receiving recesses therebetween atdesired intervals.

4. A planter including a chute, a hopper, agitating means within thehopper, an outlet channel in the bottom of the hopper, and endless meansfor conveying seed from the hopper and along the channel to the spout,said means including interchangeable links having projections ofdifferent sizes movable within the channel and forming seed receivingrecesses therebetween.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED J. H. REID.

Witnesses:

T. B. HARDEMAN, J. R. GALBBAITH.

